Sumner fish 'n chips caravan battles TNL

POWER CUT: Sue Kim wants TNL Transport to compensate her after one of its truck drivers knocked out power to her food caravan.

A takeaway caravan owner is taking on a national freight company after one of its trucks knocked out her power, costing a day's work.

Sue Kim has operated the Sumner Seafoods caravan for about two years and depended on a neighbouring building for her electricity supply.

The live power line attached to the upper story of the building was about 5 metres high and Kim said there had never been any problems with vehicles travelling beneath it.

JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/Fairfax NZ

POWER CUT: Sue Kim wants TNL Transport to compensate her after one of its truck drivers knocked out power to her food caravan.

However, earlier this month a TNL Group truck hit the power line, knocking it to the ground and cutting power to the caravan.

Kim said emergency repairs took more than six hours and she was forced to close her business for the day.

She went to TNL's Christchurch office with the $200 bill for repairing the power line and asked for an additional $150 in compensation for lost business, but was told the company would not pay her anything because they were not at fault.

Kim said she did not hold out any hope of an amicable resolution with TNL while the firm "insist that they are not responsible".

"I thought TNL transport is [a] very large company and so the manager of the company will take care of such a thing smoothly. I only asked him for the cost of repairing, but he seems to treat me like a beggar on a road."

The costs involved were not much, but Kim operated the caravan on her own and was earning a "bare living" only.

Kim said she would not give up on the matter until TNL's manager "offers his sincere apology" and pays for the repairs to the damaged power line.

A TNL spokesman said the incident was still under investigation and he hoped it would be resolved next week.